Attendance was reported to be over 300 (triple vs. last year), consisting of registry operators, registrars, domain investors, the media and representatives from MIIT, CAICT, ISC and ICANN.

There were plenty of content and networking opportunities to keep one busy the entire day. This is just a partial list of some of the topics that were covered:

Domain Name Industry Regulation. Review of 2016 and outlook for 2017.

Internet development trends in China

Domain industry development trends in China

UASG: Where are we now.

Report on Chinese IDN Universal Acceptance

Roundtable: Domain names in the new era

TLD entry license and review

Evolution of DNS structure and security practices at China Telecom

Trends of new gTLDs in the China Market

Analysis of the Digital Assets ecosystem and its future

Our CEO, Mr. Arto Isokoski, presented on “Providing innovation to the Chinese domain name marketplace.” He offered comments on the China opportunity, the importance of the digital economy, and upcoming Chinese IDN email initiatives.

As at any domain name conference, one of the best benefits of attending is the opportunity to network! There was no shortage of opportunities to do so in Beijing, especially at dinner, where many of the “who’s who” of the China domain name industry were on hand to talk shop and visit with old and new friends.

In addition to the photos posted above, we’ve also created a short 3 1/2 minute video and photo montage to give you a taste of our day at the conference. We look forward to participating again! Enjoy.

It’s a bit of a schlep from the Haidian district of Beijing, where I usually stay, to the Xinnet offices waaaay out on the opposite south side.

I don’t mind the one-way 90 minute drive (in normal traffic) because there is so much to absorb and take in as you make your way through this gigantic metropolis. It’s *always* a feast for the eyes, and hard to explain unless you see it for yourself.

The drive is also worth it because I get to meet with domain industry long-timer Daniel Zhang, whom I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for 10 years. Every time we meet I always learn something new from him about the China domain name market! I also learn something new about him. For example, he’s an avid cyclist who has a sharp collection of jerseys!

Daniel runs Xinnet’s domain business unit. Xinnet, in business 23 years, is among the 20 domain name registrars by volume in the world, and one of the largest in China. They claim over 16,000 channel partners and more than 1 million enterprise/SMB customers.

On our most recent trip to Beijing earlier this month, Daniel was gracious to spend 10 minutes with us on camera chatting about the business, aftermarket price trends, and why their enterprise/SMB customers are increasing their appetite for aftermarket domain names and IDNs (fully Chinese character domain names).

Shot this last month. The guys at EJEE were among the first that we engaged when embarking on the domain registrar and aftermarket signup phase in China several years back. We’ve always appreciated their friendship and support.

Two things that I was not able to capture in the video:

Their very cool white Tesla charging out in front of the office. I think I’d be afraid to own one in Beijing. The traffic situation is to manic in my view! I’d be afraid to drive here myself in any car, let alone a shiny new Tesla!

The camaraderie at their office. On a number of visits I’ve noticed local domain investors I’ve gotten to know over the years just using this place as a meeting spot of sorts. It’s a comfortable place to just hang out, drink tea, and talk shop. In what is a very virtual business nothing replaces actual face-to-face contact. This applies in any country.

Even though I’ve got a professional microphone we encountered some sound level issues during the interview portion, but you can still understand. Enjoy.

Every year something innovative happens in the domain name industry that I would not have expected. It’s happened every year I’ve been in this business—since 1996.

Last year was no exception. One innovation was the opening of the world’s first domain name-themed coffee shop, China.VC, in the Haidian district of Beijing. This one district alone contains 3.2 million inhabitants in the capital city of 22 million, and is known to be a center of innovation and hotbed for startup activity.

Plenty of foot traffic everywhere you look. Plenty of young tech-minded folks keen to connect with others interested in investing their new found relative wealth. So why not entice them and others to sip some good coffee and learn about and/or invest in domain names while in the shop?

We hung around and chatted with some of the local patrons while shooting some video for ChopChop.domains, TLD Registry’s new site that lets user find and buy Chinese domain names, even if they don’t speak Chinese. Disclosure: I am a Vice-President at TLD Registry.

We also managed to chat on camera with two of the co-founders, and discussed:

How did you get started in the domain name industry?

Considering the incredible rise in prices last year (2015) where do you think the domain market is going this year?

Why are people in China who have never been in the domain business getting into it? Is it the economy? What do you think is making people decide to invest in domain names instead of gold, commodities, or stocks?

The day we dropped by the cafe they were conducting a live domain name auction so it was quite busy.

Afterwards we posed with most of the attendees. A very friendly and warm welcome from folks eager to connect with others in the west about domain name opportunities!

Last month, my colleagues at China Market Consulting sat down for tea and a long proper chat about the domain name investing climate with China’s ‘Domain Captain’, Mr. Peibi Wang 王培陛, CEO of YMQ.cn, at his Beijing office.

This video is just a short (less than 5 minutes) excerpt from that 90 minute discussion. Arto asked a lot of questions, and our colleague Luke provided the interpretation.

There is no voice-over commentary or subtitles. It’s easy to follow along and get some sense of how one of the of the most successful domain investors in China operates.